Birds Attack

Me: *Stares at WIP on screen.*

SNI #1: Psst. Dianne.

Me: Go away. I’m busy.

SNI #1: It’s me. Your manuscript, XXXX, that you shelved two years ago. I was thinking, what if you changed me from YA to MG?

Me: That would be a major change. I’d have to practically gut the story and start over.

SNI #1: But it would address some of the feedback you got. All of the feedback, really.

Me: That’s a really interesting idea, but I’m working on something else right now.  *Stares at WIP. Types a comma. Deletes the comma.*

SNI #1: While you’re stuck, why don’t you make up a side-by-side outline – my chapters as they are now, and what you would have to change to make the story MG.

Me: I’m not stuck. You’re bothering me.

SNI #1: Okay. I’ll go. But think about it.

Me: *Decides to re-read the chapter-in-progress so far. Changes three words.*

SNI #2: Hey, Dianne, weren’t those two articles you read last night pretty cool? The one about gravitational waves and the other about turbulence and Van Gogh’s The Starry Night?

Me: Who are you?

SNI #2: You know who I am. Put the ideas in those two articles together and you get …

Me: You.

SNI #2: That’s right. Remember those 4 awesome adult science fiction books you read while you were laid up? If you were to write down your favorite thing about each of them, put that list together with gravitational waves and turbulence, you’d probably have a really cool plan for a new story.

Me: But I’m busy with this other project right now.

SNI #2: Really? Doesn’t look like it.

SNI #3: And what about me?

Me: I remember you. I outlined you.

SNI #3: And then you never wrote me.

Me: You were boring.

SNI #3: Maybe I wouldn’t be so boring if SNI #2 wasn’t hogging all the good ideas. Put the turbulence in my book! I want the cosmic turbulence!

Me: Look, I don’t want to write you now. *Points at WIP.* I like this one. My critique partners like this one. This is what I need to work on right now.

SNI #3: So why aren’t you typing?

***

Good question! Why aren’t I typing?

Maybe because my mind looks like this inside?

Starry Night

Word count goals don’t usually work for me, but I’m thinking I need to set some this week. (And not allow myself any Netflix time if I don’t meet them!)

Go away, SNIs!